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Math help needed for art project ::Update:: Finished!!! please judge me!

djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
14,637
2
0
I want to mount a spiral of rebar on a plywood backing. What length of rebar is needed if the backing is 3'x4' and I want the result to look something like a shell.. so not multiple concentric circles.
The rebar would come up from the center, turn in an even counter-clockwise circle making one complete revolution and then touch the upper left corner.

Does that make sense? My paint sketches come out crappy and I don't have a scanner here.

Any help appreciated.

~~~UPDATE~~~~

Well, here's the Finished piece. The stripey thing is a mock up I made, my wife helped me with the math on that, and you guys turned out to be accurate on the length needed.

Overall, I think it cam out alright... I kind of feel, if I were actually going to persue it, that this would be a first draft... Manually turning that rebar with a conduit bender is for suckers... I'd go to a machine shop and have some guys help me bend it perfectly if I were to do it again....

Thoughts???
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,832
19,044
136
Originally posted by: So
I have no clue what you're trying to do.

I think he's trying to create an antenna that will allow him to receive transmissions from the creatures living on one of Jupiter's moons.
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Originally posted by: So
I have no clue what you're trying to do.

I think he's trying to create an antenna that will allow him to receive transmissions from the creatures living on one of Jupiter's moons.

Bah. Just get in a spaceship and go there, Dave...
 

akenbennu

Senior member
Jul 24, 2005
764
338
136
I suggest you take a length of string, form it in the pattern you want, then measure the string.
 

Pegun

Golden Member
Jan 18, 2004
1,334
0
71
suggestion: I think i know what you're saying but draw it in paint. Seeing it is a lot clearer than hearing it
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,056
4,703
126
How tight do you want it to be? Is the loop big or is the loop small?
 

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
205
106
Originally posted by: djheater
I want to mount a spiral of rebar on a plywood backing. What length of rebar is needed if the backing is 3'x4' and I want the result to look something like a shell.. so not multiple concentric circles.
The rebar would come up from the center, turn in an even counter-clockwise circle making one complete revolution and then touch the upper left corner.

Does that make sense? My paint sketches come out crappy and I don't have a scanner here.

Any help appreciated.

An approximation method...
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/sao123/spiralapproximation.JPG
 

djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
14,637
2
0
Originally posted by: BlueWeasel
I came up with ~13.6 feet using a quick sketch I did in AutoCAD

The spacing or tightness of the spirals can easily be adjusted...just let me know.

That's perfect.
Thanks everyone for your help :)

It's for a humanities course I'm taking. I'll post the finished project in a couple of weeks. :)
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,056
4,703
126
Originally posted by: djheater
That's perfect.
Thanks everyone for your help :)

It's for a humanities course I'm taking. I'll post the finished project in a couple of weeks. :)
Be sure to add a lot of extra length to allow for mounting behind the board. Also, if the spiral comes vertically out of the board, add room for that too. The AutoCAD drawing is 2D, a 3D spiral would definately be longer.
 

djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
14,637
2
0
Originally posted by: dullard
Originally posted by: djheater
That's perfect.
Thanks everyone for your help :)

It's for a humanities course I'm taking. I'll post the finished project in a couple of weeks. :)
Be sure to add a lot of extra length to allow for mounting behind the board. Also, if the spiral comes vertically out of the board, add room for that too. The AutoCAD drawing is 2D, a 3D spiral would definately be longer.

Understood... I was just trying to see if I could get out of buying the 25' length, but it doesn't look like it. I don't look forward to strapping that sucker into my minivan and trying to drive home with it, but it looks like that's the trick.